Enrique: Arda & Vidal will play against Espanyol

Luis Enrique has confirmed that Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal will play for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey clash with Espanyol on Wednesday night at Camp Nou.

Both will be making their debut after signing last summer, having been unable to be registered thanks to the FIFA penalty on the club which is now expired.

“I see they are both well,” said Lucho. “They will form part of the side, they are in the squad and will feature against Espanyol. They will have the chance to wear the Barcelona shirt in an official game.”

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However, the coach did not confirm what part they would play in proceedings, i.e if they would start or how many minutes they would get.

“They are two versatile footballers, they can play in many positions,” he continued.

“Arda can play as an interior or wide playmaker. And Aleix can play full-back, interior or as a winger.

“The pair have a high technical level and defensively they can help us with a lot of things.”

Lucho said that both are capable of playing for 90 minutes. “They can play 90 minutes. Arda could play with his national team and Aleix is a very fit footballer. We have the GPS data from training, and they have high stats, including those needed for a match.”